Beatitudes
Beatitude means supreme blessedness. When I did a search for a definition of supreme blessedness, here’s what google came up with – “Supreme blessedness refers to the highest state of happiness or fulfillment, often associated with spiritual or divine contentment. This concept is frequently discussed in philosophical, religious, and spiritual contexts, where it signifies an ultimate form of well-being that transcends ordinary happiness.”
Look at the terms in that definition – happiness, fulfillment, contentment, well-being. Those are all terms associated with wholeness and completeness.
Jesus had his list of beatitudes. They are listed in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.
In Matthew’s version, Jesus is attributed as saying:
“5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:1-12, NRSV)
This version emphasizes how God’s ways are about right siding an upside down world.
Luke’s version attributes Jesus with the following:
“20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you[d] on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:20-26, NRSV).
In this version we have both blessings and woe. Luke’s version is also a bit more embodied and raw, especially since there are accompanying woes that mirror the blessings. In this version, we get a clear message as to what is blessed in God’s kingdom and what is a curse.
Regardless of which version we are looking at, it is quite clear that Jesus’ beatitudes are in direct conflict and opposition to the beatitudes of empire and the world. I use the term empire loosely. Empires don’t have to be literal empires of nations with armies. There are cultural empires. Business empires. Political empires. Religious empires. Empires rule. They have dominion over people and things and places. They force compliance. Often you participate in them whether you want to or not. In that way, they are systemic in nature – enveloping everything within their gravitational pull, much like a black hole.
If we were to write out the beatitudes of empire, I wonder if it might sound something like this:
The Beatitudes of Empire
Blessed are the rich,
for theirs is the kingdom, the power, and the profit.
Blessed are the powerful,
for they will be feared and obeyed.
Blessed are the violent,
for they will secure peace through domination.
Blessed are the merciless,
for they shall never be taken advantage of.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for control,
for they will never be satisfied, but always win.
Blessed are the pure in ideology,
for they will see the world as enemies and assets.
Blessed are the war-makers,
for they will be called patriots.
Blessed are those who silence dissent,
for they will preserve the order.
Blessed are you when you conform, obey, and do not question,
for your reward is not punishment.
Rejoice and be glad, for this is the way of power.
For so the empire rewarded and worshipped the conquerors, the tyrants, and the loyal soldiers who came before you.
I reject the beatitudes of empire because I follow Jesus. And the question becomes how do we support the poor, the vulnerable, those on the margins of society, those silenced in a society that values the beatitudes of empire?
I think we do it by seeing who Jesus called blessed. We act in subversive ways to support these people recognizing that we actually support each other and can’t do this alone. We raise up the poor and marginalized just as they raise us up with them. We amplify voices that are ignored and silenced knowing that when our voices are united it is a chorus that cannot be ignored, We comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable in order to set them free from a system that finds all disposable. We offer sanctuary when needed knowing that we need sanctuary as well. We love in the face of hatred being open to receiving love. We find the humanity when inhumanity is the policy being promoted. We humanize the scapegoats. We work in the way of peace knowing that it is not a destination but a way of living. We give food the hungry and let the hungry feed us in other ways in return. We welcome the stranger and the foreigner because we recognize that we are all visitors in God’s creation. We care for the sick knowing that we too are sick from the ways of empire. We set people free from bondage because we need them to help set us free as well. We proclaim good news when all we encounter is a flooding of the zone of horrible news designed to make us give up because we recognize that we need good news as much as anyone else.
We act in subversive ways to help make empire rot from within. If we are able, we do not comply. We throw wrenches into empire systems. We cause delays. We follow the subversive Jesus who set people free from empire’s ways.
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